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Stephen Colbert Defends Free Speech After Emmy Win Despite CBS Cancellation
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In Short: Stephen Colbert emphasized the importance of free speech after his show won an Emmy despite being cancelled by CBS, stating that late-night comedy remains vital.
Stephen Colbert defended free speech and his show's legacy after winning an Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series, just days after CBS announced its cancellation. 'Free speech is alive and well,' Colbert said, adding that late-night comedy is 'just as vital as it ever has been.
Following the cancellation, Colbert's show won a total of six Emmys for its final season, the most it ever received in a single season. The win came despite controversy surrounding rapper Macklemore, who was dropped from Ed Sheeran's US tour after making pro-Palestinian comments during performances.
During Israel's military campaign in Gaza, more than 73,780 people have been killed, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. Macklemore's comments and subsequent removal from the tour sparked backlash from Jewish groups, with American businessman Robert Kraft citing 'hate speech' as the reason for the cancellation.
Colbert's show, which had won Outstanding Talk Series in 2025, went out in style, winning Outstanding Variety Series at the 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards. The win was particularly significant given the show's cancellation, with only 'Buffy' having won an Emmy during its run.
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- "Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, is in no way a criticism of you," he said, adding that he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten.
- Ed Sheeran and Macklemore, pictured in 2014, have been friends for 13 years, the rapper said in his statement But the backlash against Macklemore only grew louder, and included a petition by the Israeli-American Council urging Sheeran to remove him from the tour.
- American businessman Robert Kraft, who owns the Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, said he banned Macklemore because the venue would not "provide a platform for hate speech," accusing the rapper of "a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric".
- "I agree with Macklemore, too many lives have been lost and there has been too much suffering, but only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas is not honest and only advances more divisiveness and hate," Kraft said.
- The artist - whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty - had been the opening act for Sheeran's Loop tour, but was criticised by Jewish groups after saying "Free Palestine" at two concerts and making political speeches.
- Macklemore stood by his comments on Monday, confirming that he had been cut from the tour and writing in a statement that the real victims are the Palestinian people in Gaza.
- He told the audience: "A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so that I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very, very dear to my heart: Free Palestine." He then performed his song Hind's Hall, which condemns Israel's military action in Gaza, while video footage of the devastation in Gaza was shown on the big screen.
- Of these three shows, only Buffy won an Emmy during its run.
Sources
- Rolling Stonelink